REDLANDS – Local Christmas tree growers opened their first weekend of the season with a bang.

On Saturday, shoppers headed out to buy their Christmas trees at some of the area’s local growers.

For Redlands residents Kelly and Cari Christiansen, buying their tree the first weekend after Thanksgiving was a little earlier than they had bought in the past, but they had a special reason to start the season early this year – their 4-month-old daughter, Gracie.

“We have a new baby and we wanted to celebrate for the whole month,” Cari said.

John Tay, 19, and Jasmine Murphy, 21, both of Redlands, searched for the perfect tree in the groves at Greenspot Christmas Trees in Mentone.

“We used to wait until toward the end of (December) but then all the trees are gone,” Tay said.

This is the first year D.J. Taylor, 19, of Loma Linda, has worked at Greenspot Christmas Trees, where he cuts trees and gets them ready for customers to take home. By Saturday afternoon, he said the weekend had been “pretty busy.”

“I’ve done about 15 to 20 trees between yesterday and today,” he said.

Kim Buoye, owner of Greenspot Christmas Trees Farm in Mentone, said the slow national economy has not affected her business.

“I’ve kept our prices down to help out customers out,” she said.

Buoye said she gets a lot of repeat customers – some of whom have been back every year since she started 22 years ago.

“It’s kind of an experience,” she said. “We have a friendly atmosphere here.”

Further west on Highway 38 – or Lugonia Avenue – is Buoye Farms, owned by Pete Buoye, Kim’s cousin by marriage.

Pete Buoye has been in business for 36 years and he said he has also tried to keep his prices low to keep customers coming back.

He said he thought rain Friday night and Saturday morning might might discourage shoppers, but by the afternoon clouds broke up.

`It was raining buckets this morning, but actually, it was really neat when it all cleared up,” he said.

Greenspot Christmas Trees is at 10133 Ward Way in Mentone.

Buoye Farms is just east of Judson Street on Lugonia Avenue in Redlands.